López de Heredia is one of the all-time great Rioja
houses, making wines in an old, slightly oxidative style. I am in particularly
in love with the old vintages one comes across from time to time of the white Gran
Reserva Tondonia, which tends to be quite well oxidised, hinting at sherry.
It’ll be a long time before this red starts feeling
oxidised. Structurally smooth, stylish and slightly sharp, to begin with it is somewhat
elusive in terms of flavour; it offers the classic Rioja notes of brambly fruit
and oaky vanilla but is clearly still holding a lot in the back shop. Aeration
induces massive changes; first the fruit becomes much more defined (now rather
clearly a blend of raspberry and bramble) and other notes waft their way in,
including liquorice, salami, and cigar box (which is a classic Bordeaux note,
not to be expected in Rioja, but it’s here). Within an hour of being opened, a
stupendous, gamey character has emerged and the fruit is showing orange notes.
Wild, delicious, give it a good airing.
No comments:
Post a Comment